1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in internal
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level
research that shows that people from very intellectual backgrounds are happiest with spouses having comparable educations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests
discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intellectual
Brendan Le, People.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, 14,000 people with intellectual and physical disabilities remain on a waiting list for resources.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2025
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 31 July 2025
The centrist and right-wing intellectuals largely dropped their oppositional politics while the left became insular and weakened.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
After a successful pilot in 2023, Cheesecake Factory rolled out the Best Buddies Staffing Program in 2024, in partnership with Best Buddies, the world’s largest organization dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
—Brendan Le, People.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, 14,000 people with intellectual and physical disabilities remain on a waiting list for resources.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
But given her job and role as a public intellectual, her broader media and information diet is necessarily varied and voluminous.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 31 July 2025
The centrist and right-wing intellectuals largely dropped their oppositional politics while the left became insular and weakened.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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This bodily dissonance is another way Alien: Earth remixes a core franchise theme, but the exercise remains largely cerebral.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Aug. 2025
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The cerebral way in which Schulewitz approached pitching and his job with UIC was a perfect primer for his work with the Dodgers.—
Steve Reaven,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Others may also include internal storage compartments, useful for items such as pens, tape, and other supplies.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
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The board also noted that specialized training and internal data tracking have been expanded and strengthened, and that response times have improved significantly since five years ago.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This is the kind of thing that Jenkins, a journalist and prolific documentarian, specialized in: connecting the dots in a way that was insightful, enlightening, fun and pure catnip for cross-pop-cultural nerds.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 July 2025
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That distillery is a favorite of many whiskey nerds, mostly for its sourced whiskeys that are blended by Drew Kulsveen and his team.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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Dissatisfaction with academic instruction at schools was cited by 72 percent.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
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Unfortunately, while teachers and lecturers may see AI text detectors as an easy and appealing way of avoiding academic misconduct, in reality, these software aren’t 100% perfect.—
Christian Perry,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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He'd been hit twice, once in the hip, another in the inner thigh.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
23 Aug. 2025
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In the Garden Suite, French doors open onto a private inner garden, where lush greenery and patio furniture create a serene urban oasis.—
Siobhan Reid,
Vogue,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
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Wagner would be a sleepless highbrow’s favorite; the long, lush, unbroken lines of music share with the white-noise hum of the air-conditioner or the thrum of the painstaking lecture the quality of being absorbing without offering undue eventfulness.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The critics were not defending scholarly standards, but their exclusive claim to setting those standards.—
Ilya Shapiro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
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But that belies a scholarly understanding of Italian cooking history, techniques and terminology, and a serious competitor.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2025
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The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon which is characterized by feelings of energy depletion, increased mental distance from one's job, and reduced professional efficacy.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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